Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in West Sussex

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in West Sussex? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Potager Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (61)

£26 to £40

English

Chichester

About the restaurant

Eat, drink and relax. Our restaurant rewards food and wine lovers with a unique warm and friendly environment to enjoy time with partners, friends or family. Our restaurant is one of the few restaurants in Chichester in which you can indulge in rural British cuisine. Utilising the gardens, the Potager Restaurant uses fresh, home-grown produce creating a true ‘farm-to-fork’, or as well like to call it ‘Potager-to-plate’, ethos. Our Chefs and trained front of house staff will treat you with fantastic service, friendly smiles and great food. Characterful, contemporary oak-beamed restaurant with views over open countryside. Award winning Cuisine, 2 AA Rosettes for food excellence

Top review

CharlesVIP

Dined on Jan 1, 2025

Smashing meal once again - loved the brunch menu. The smoked salmon with walnuts was divine, the crème brûlée outstanding and the overall atmosphere and service superb. Well done to all involved 👏

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Piccolino - Chichester

4.5

4.5 (44)

£26 to £40

Italian

Chichester

About the restaurant

A treasure in the heart of Chichester on South Street, the newest addition to the Piccolino family will bring a flavor of Italy to this historic cathedral city. Piccolino Chichester will embody the charm and sophistication of authentic Italian dining.

Coming Soon!

Top review

Adam

Dined 5 days ago

Great food. Super friendly staff. Great cider choice.

The Cat Inn

4.9

4.9 (1909)

£25 and under

Contemporary British

East Grinstead

About the restaurant

The Cat Inn is a 16th century free house set in the picturesque village of West Hoathly, a hilltop village set in the heart of the Sussex countryside. It is in within easy distance from the towns of East Grinstead and Haywards Heath and only 25 minutes from Gatwick Airport.

The Pub with its oak beams and two inglenook fireplaces proffers a warm and cosy atmosphere in the winter, whilst our terrace is perfect to enjoy a drink and food in the summer months. Being a free house we pride ourselves in the quality of our real ale, and concentrate on local breweries, such as Harvey's of Lewes and other micro breweries. Our food is cooked to order, using fresh, seasonal and where possible locally sourced ingredients. Our menus change on a regular basis and we also offer a small selection of seasonal specials on a daily basis.

We welcome children over the age of 7. Dogs are welcome in the "pub" area of the Cat, they are not permitted in the dining room

Top review

Julie

Dined 6 days ago

Fabulous welcome even for our dogs. Staff were excellent hosts. Food was a wonderful surprise, it was really so very good. Had the best time. Whoever is running this is doing a wonderful job!

Terra Restaurant at Tottington

4.7

4.7 (170)

£41 and over

Farm-to-table

Henfield

About the restaurant

Terra restaurant is located at Tottington Manor which is beautifully situated in the South Downs National Park with hillside and farmland views, yet it is just 10 minutes from the A23 at Pyecombe and the A27 at Shoreham.

With a menu showcasing the best of local ingredients cooked fresh each day by our team of chefs, you can enjoy dinner in the restaurant, or outside on our decking, or in winter time, choose our more relaxed fire side Olive Restaurant.

In addition we have a number of private dining options available from 6 to 95.

Our South Downs Suite is completely separate with its own private garden, stretch tent and bar and is ideal for family celebrations, parties and of course Weddings. Our events team are always available to provide tours and discuss your plans, call them on 01903 815757 or email events@tottingtonmanor.co.uk

Tottington Manor also has 12 bedrooms comprising of 5 unique superior rooms , 5 comfort double rooms and 2 comfort single rooms.

Top review

Simone

Dined 3 days ago

Great food, lovely service & amazing views - would 100% recommend

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Experience

Valentines Day 2025

Masala City

4.8

4.8 (461)

£25 and under

Indian

Chichester

About the restaurant

Experience the best curry in West Sussex
Come and experience the warm welcome of Chichester Curry House “Masala City” and enjoy an authentic Indian experience in a fantastic location full of character.
The emphasis at Chichester’s Masala City Indian Restaurant is on producing authentic Indian food, using the best quality ingredients and where possible locally sourced produce.
Chichester Indian Masala City serves an extensive array of authentic meals, which are freshly prepared using only the best and finest ingredients for both dine in and takeaway (serving Chichester).
Driven by an ambitious and passionate management team. We aim to make your dining experience memorable by providing a warm atmosphere where you can enjoy our great quality Indian food that is complemented by the excellent standard of service

Top review

Coco-pixie

Dined on Jan 7, 2025

Absolutely amazing my favourite place to go affordable food good quality seen straight away and given drinks and poppadoms. Staff are extremely polite and well spoken.

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The Fountain at Ashurst

4.5

4.5 (561)

£25 and under

British

Steyning

About the restaurant

FOOD, DRINK, EVENTS
The Fountain Ashurst is a 16th Century Pub located in the beautiful village of Ashurst, West Sussex.

It is quintessentially English with flagstone flooring, low beams and plenty of cosy corners and comfortable seating.

Extremely popular all year round, you can enjoy our stunning landscaped gardens and pond area outside during the Summer months including the infamous 'beach area'. During the colder months we boast two large fireplaces in both areas of our bar for you to cosy up in and enjoy a warming beverage.

Top review

Filipe

Dined 5 days ago

Amazing pub, 5 star food, well worth the cost, We went there at 1st to check out the Wings Christmas song, but to be honest we found an amazing place to eat and will be coming back as the beer was cold and crisp, again food was out of this world, met the landlords and they both are beautiful people and the staff did their jobs very well, great atmosphere in the pub had by all that were in there while we were, Again I can not praise this place enough, winter, its a nice cosy log fire pub to keep warm and looking forward to going back in the warmer months with all the garden space and outside champers bar, a must stop and on the list for future visits..

The Safari Pizza co, pizzeria and wine bar

4.8

4.8 (293)

£25 and under

Pizzeria

Haywards Heath

About the restaurant

Wood fired pizzeria and wine bar on the Broadway in Haywards Heath. Serving a selection of fantastic pizzas and wine.

Top review

Sarah

Dined 4 days ago

We had a brilliant evening at safari pizza. Our waitress was very attentive and funny.

The Ivy Chichester Brasserie

4.5

4.5 (4664)

£25 and under

British

Chichester

About the restaurant

The Ivy Chichester Brasserie brings relaxed, sophisticated all-day British dining, and international Ivy-inspired classics, to the heart of the Sussex Coastline and the South Downs. Open seven days a week, and comprising of a main restaurant, central bar with dining counter, terrace overlooking the bustling market town and private dining room, The Ivy Chichester provides the perfect setting for any occasion.

Top review

Sam

Dined 2 days ago

Great location in the centre of town. Food was standard Ivy fare, decent sized portions, served with flare and delivered on the flavour front. The staff were great, checking in but not overly intrusive and we didn't feel any pressure to hurry up even though we ended up staying 4 hours!

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Experience

Breakfast Set Menu

Experience

The Ivy Chichester Afternoon Tea

Experience

Sunday Steak Supper

Fratelli

4.6

4.6 (254)

£26 to £40

Italian

Midhurst

About the restaurant

Fratelli by Amore, is a new Italian Restaurant in Midhurst. Our goal is to offer you a warm welcoming experience, giving you the opportunity to taste and enjoy authentic and traditional Italian dishes. In our restaurant, in a friendly and family atmosphere we are looking forward to share with you moments, whether you are visiting us a romantic night out, larger party or corporate event, we guarantee that you will be looked after by our friendly and attentive staff.

Top review

Roger

Dined 5 days ago

Good service, warm atmosphere and good food. Overall good value for money.

The Star & Garter

4.7

4.7 (179)

£26 to £40

Gastro Pub

Singleton

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of the Goodwood Estate and surrounded by the South Downs National Park, The Star & Garter in East Dean offers a delicious selection of freshly cooked, local and seasonal food in a charming dining space with red brick and oak beams. Just a mile down the hill from Goodwood Race Course we are 12 minutes drive from Chichester. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner we try to source our ingredients as locally and as seasonally as possible. Whether you are at a Goodwood Event or walking, cycling or just out for a drive and fancy a decent meal at reasonable prices, we like to think we are one of the best around. We have a great courtyard and garden space which can seat up to 100 people. Freshly ground coffee is available all day. With a mixture of local people and tourists there's always a warm welcome here.

Top review

Shirley

Dined 5 days ago

Really lovely pub lunch on a cold January day. Log burner burning nicely. Lovely home cooked food and friendly pub owners. Recommend a drop in.

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